These slow cooker chicken thighs are coated in an easy honey garlic sauce, then cooked in a crock pot until tender. Serve your chicken thighs over steamed rice for a complete meal that the whole family will love!
When I know I’m going to have a really busy day, I put dinner in the slow cooker in the morning to make life a little easier. Some of our favorite crock pot recipes include BBQ ribs, sweet and sour meatballs and these Asian style chicken thighs.
The slow cooker is one of my favorite kitchen devices – it’s just so easy and convenient to have dinner waiting for you when you come home after a long day! These slow cooker chicken thighs are tender, juicy and coated in the most delicious sauce.
How do you make slow cooker chicken thighs?
First, cook your chicken thighs in a pan with oil until golden to unlock the flavor. Whip up some honey garlic sauce which features garlic, honey and soy sauce. Place the thighs in the slow cooker slathered in the honey garlic sauce. After a few hours, you’ll want to add a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Once the chicken is cooked, sprinkle sesame seeds on top and it is ready to serve.
Tips for slow cooker chicken thighs
- Instead of using boneless chicken thighs, you can use bone-in chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts. Feel free to use whichever cut of chicken you prefer or have available.
- I like to brown the chicken thighs before placing them in the slow cooker to bring out the flavor of the chicken and to give the meat some texture. If you don’t have time to brown the chicken, you can skip that step and simply place the raw thighs in the crock pot with the sauce.
- The honey garlic sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance.
- This chicken stays fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can enjoy these thighs as leftovers and they are a great candidate for meal prep.
Slow cooker chicken thigh variations
This honey garlic sauce is one of my personal favorites and it garners me a lot of compliments. You can add some other flavors to this great sauce for a little variety.
- Honey Ginger: Use 2 teaspoons of fresh minced ginger instead of the garlic.
- Honey Lime: Add 1 tablespoon of lime juice to the sauce.
- Sweet and Spicy: Add sriracha to the sauce to taste.
- Orange Chicken: Add 2 tablespoons of orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest to the sauce.
Can you put frozen chicken in a slow cooker?
I don’t recommend putting frozen chicken in a slow cooker. You should always thaw chicken before slow cooking it. Frozen chicken in the slow cooker can cause problems. The main problem is the risk of bacterial growth. Frozen chicken takes longer to heat up in a slow cooker than thawed chicken meaning the frozen chicken may allow bacteria to grow while it slowly heats. Another problem can occur with frozen chicken in a slow cooker if there is not enough liquid. The frozen chicken touching the cooker may get overcooked before the interior of the chicken has finished cooking because the frozen interior takes longer to cook. You will be safer and you may get better tasting food if you thaw your chicken before placing it in a slow cooker.
Can you overcook chicken in a slow cooker?
You can overcook chicken in a slow cooker. Overcooked chicken will be dry and may be tough. Take care to watch the time on your slow cooker chicken to make sure it stays tender and juicy. If you are worried about overcooking chicken, use a chicken thigh recipe (like this one) instead of a chicken breast recipe. The extra fat in chicken thighs helps protect them from drying out.
This slow cooker recipe uses one of my best sauces to make extraordinary chicken thighs. This sweet and tangy sauce over tender chicken dish will become one of your favorites.
More slow cooker recipes you’ll love
- Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks
- Slow Cooker Chili
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs (Slow Cooker)
- Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
- Ham and Bean Soup (Slow Cooker)
Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and chopped cilantro for garnish
- 2 tablespoons green onions sliced
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan over high heat. Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side until deep golden brown.
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
- NOTE: you can skip the browning process if you prefer and simply season the thighs with salt and pepper then add them to the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, ketchup, soy sauce, honey and sesame oil. Pour the sauce over the chicken thighs.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the slow cooker.
- Cook for 1 more hour or until sauce has just thickened. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, then serve.
I’m thinking of using 16 -20 bone-in thighs, so can I stack them and just double the spices? and how long should I cook it on low?
I’d make sure you’re using a large enough slow cooker to fit all that chicken, the slow cooker shouldn’t be more than 75% full to allow for circulation. Cook on low for 8 hours!
I also want to cook 16 thighs for a group. Do I double the sauce? And cook on low for 8 hours?
Yes you would double the sauce. The cook time depends on the size of your slow cooker, what size are you planning to use? I’d recommend a 6 quart.
Can you use flour instead of corn starch?
I don’t think it would work the same way, you can omit the corn starch, the sauce will just be thinner.
This sauce was a hit. Would it be possible to cook with wings for a family gathering? What would you recommend cooking time?
I would cook on low for 5-6 hours!
I only have 4 chicken thighs should I still cook on low for 7 hours total?
You can reduce the time by one hour!
I rushed when making the sauce and added the cornstarch to it and the water and poured it all over. Should I change anything? Hoping it will still turn out, do you think 3 hours is enough time if the internal temp is 165?
I think it should be fine! And 3 hours should be good!
What can I replace with sesame oil please I don’t have it
I would just omit it!
Does it make a huge difference in flavor/tenderness if you cook on low VS high? If I prepare ahead, how do you reheat without drying out? Our youth group is going to prepare this for a Valentine’s Dinner Fundraiser. I’m wondering if we should prepare that day or ahead of time? Thanks!
I prefer to cook on low! You could make them a day in advance, then place in a covered dish and reheat at 325 degrees F until warmed through.
Moist, flavorful and so delicious! Used the leftovers on salad and that was yummy also!
I’m making this now and would like to know if I can freeze leftovers.
Yes that’s fine!
It was sooooo delicious. I left the bone in, didn’t brown them and crisped the removed skin between two pans in the oven. We had it with some home made veg chow mein. A super easy and scrumptious dinner. I’ll freeze the remaining chicken and sauce. Thank you so much! YUM!
so cook on high for 3 hours then add the corn starch and cook for another hour until thickened so 4 hours together if you are cooking on high?
Yes that’s correct.
Great recipe as is, and also easy to adapt for more adventurous eaters. I added juice of 1/2 lime, couple tbsps fresh ginger and gochujang for a kick. Added a bag of frozen broccoli (steamed in micro for a few mins first) the last 20 mins. Was a huge hit for everyone. Thanks!
How big are the 6 pcs chicken thighs or how heavy do they weigh? I’m not from the US and the chicken thighs where I’m from seem a lot smaller than what you have in the photos. Just want to make sure so I can portion the rest of the ingredients 😅
It’s about 2 pounds!
OMG….these were amazing. Changed my entire mind about making chicken in the slow cooker. My husband practically licked the plate (I served with basmati rice tossed with fresh cilantro) and would probably eat leftovers if there were any happily. I made the base sauce recipe with the added 1 tbsp of sriracha. Amazing.
I was wondering how the nutrition info works – is the calorie listing per chicken thigh?
I just put the recipe in the slow cooker so now trying to figure out tracking for my nutrition tracker. Thank you!
Yes per thigh!
It says total cook time five hours above but in the instructions it says cover and cook for six then and additional hour after the corn starch. Which is it?
If you’re cooking on low, it’s 7 hours total
Thank you.
This was a huge hit. I mixed the cornstarch in with the rest of the sauce at the beginning, but otherwise did everything the same, and it turned out to be perfect. I served over rice that I had cooked with a bit of sesame oil. Simply delicious.
I was shocked how good they were! I skipped browning so I literally spent 10 min flat on the whole thing and all 4 of my young son’s ate it and asked for more!
I just needed something easy to dump in a crock pot for after my kids’ Christmas pageant and I happened ti have everything in the house. Good enough. But man, when I tried it I was blown away. Thanks!
Has anyone tried using the instant pot for this recipe?
Yes. Depending on which Instapot you have, I just set mine on slow cook, medium temperature, for 7 hours.
Just delicious! So simple to make and the house smells fabulous all afternoon. Yummy hot and even better the next day! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
This recipe is awesome! I used bone in skin on chicken thighs and they were one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever made (said everyone who had them for dinner !). The chicken was so moist and falling off the bone. If you do use the skin on thighs I HIGHLY recommend you do the browning process as mentioned in the first steps of the recipe. I added 1/4 cup lime juice, fresh ginger, and a tablespoon of siracha for some spice. I did this in addition to the recipe not as any replacement. My boyfriend is begging me to make it again already! Paired well with cilantro lime rice and garlic lemmon pepper green beans.